Paper House Boxes
Difficulty: Easy
Average User Rating:
Parental supervision is recommended
Open the roof of this paper house box and put a small gift inside. This blank pattern lets your kids create anything from your own home to Santa's workshop.
What you'll need:
- Printed paper patterns (below)
- Tape or glue - thick craft glue will work the best
- Crayons or markers to decorate the house
- Construction paper, pipe cleaners, cotton, anything to decorate house; optional
How to make it:
- Find a place to work.
- Gather all your materials.
- Read all the directions.
Making the Decorations
Read all the directions before starting. If you feel unsure about how this all goes together, print an extra one, cut it out and put it together before working on the decorated house.
Step 1 - Print Patterns
You will need both to make one house.
- House front and sides
- Back of house and roof
- Mac PICT patterns (all of them)
The patterns for this are called "house-box1.pict" and "house-box2.pict"
Mac Owners should download the PICT files, which they can print with "Simpletext" or "Teachtext" (or some graphic programs). When printing to a laserwriter, Mac owners will need to use Page Setup and hit Options and select Larger Print Area, and then print the pattern.
The patterns can be made with computer paper or can be printed on thick paper or cardstock. You can also take your printouts to a copy shop to have them duplicated on heavy paper if your printer cannot print on heavy paper. You can also print the houses scaled to slightly different sizes for more variety.
Step 2 - Color/Decorate
Decorate your house. The houses can have all sorts of details - different style windows, shutters, bushes, flowers, flower boxes, or holiday decorations. A green pipecleaner will make a nice wreath. Faces can be drawn in the windows. You can also use stickers, photographs or magazine cutouts to decorate your house.
Pay attention to which way is "up" on the pieces as you decorate them. Very young children might need help to draw on some doors and windows in the right places.
You should do most of the decorating at this point, but 3-D decorations that might get in the way of folding the house might be better glued on after the house is assembled.
Step 3 - Cut
Cut out the patterns along all the outside lines.
Step 4 - Crease and Glue
Fold the house on all the lines. Make the folds sharp. All the folds go in the same direction, and, in the end, all the folds are 90 degree angle folds. The house should begin to take shape as you do the folding.
The top of the house has tabs that reinforce those top edges. Fold all the tabs on the top of the sides and front of the house down to the back/inside (there are five of them), and glue them down.
Apply glue to the two bottom side tabs and glue the bottom of the house to the sides. Apply glue to the bottom back tab, and glue the back of the house (which has the attached roof) to the bottom tab. Apply glue to the two side tabs and glue the sides of the house together. Do not glue the roof at all.
If you want a chimney, glue the little tab on the chimney, making it shaped like a box. There should be two tabs on the slanted lines that fold under/inwards - those will attach the chimney to the roof and will be hidden inside the chimney when attached to the roof. Just put glue on the underside of the tabs and gently press it on the roof.
Step 5 - Add Additional 3-D Decorations
If you put a chimney on your house, a cotton ball can make some nice smoke. A green pipecleaner will make a nice wreath. Rolled up paper can make logs and turn your house into a "log cabin". Your imagination is the limit.
Notes:
This project is pretty easy to do for children ages about 6 and older. Younger children might need help with cutting and drawing some of house details at the right spots.
